Folding fruit or vegetable basket



June 23, 1970 BA|LEY 3,516,595

FOLDING FRUIT OR VEGETABLE BASKET Filed Aug. 26, 1968 //v vE/vTo/e GCorge E Baihiy United States Patent 3,516,595 FOLDING FRUIT 0R VEGETABLE BASKET George Edward Bailey, RR. 3, Belllevillle, Ontario, Canada Filed Aug. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 767,603 Int. Cl. B65d /46 US. Cl. 229-35 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention is directed to a folding basket which is used to carry fruits or vegetables. The basket is formed of a one-piece blank and includes a base with integral side panels which are folded and erected to form integral side walls, as well as overlapping end Walls. The base also includes a pair of end panels which are folded and erected to form end panels, exteriorly of the overlapped end walls provided by the extensions on the side walls. A carrying handle is provided by a pair of U- shaped loop members. The legs of the loop of each member are stapled or otherwise permanently secured to the base, and the closed loop portions extend upwardly beyond the top of the side walls. In this Way, when the basket is used for carrying fruits or vegetables, the handles provide additional support to the side walls of the basket.

This invention relates to a foldable basket, such as s used for fruit, and to a blank for forming such a basket.

Generally, fruit baskets, and similar containers, are either made of thin wood, with a thin flexible wood handle, or are of cardboard again with a thin flexible wood handle. The handle provides support against spreading of the sides. In either arrangement, the baskets are not collapsible. The wood basket is not collapsible because of the permanent correction of the pieces of wood forming the basket, and the cardboard basket is not collapsible once the handle has been attached. It has been proposed to provide a detachable handle for cardboard baskets, but the arrangements are usually complex and also there is the disadvantage of having loose handles when the basket are in a collapsed form.

The present invention provides a basket which is made from cardboard or some similar light weight, flexible material which can be prepared in the form of a blank, and has a handle which is attached to the blank and extends, in use, up the sides of the basket to provide support against spreading.

The invention will be readily understood by the following description of one embodiment, by way of example, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an inverted place view of a blank for a basket,

FIG. 2 is an end view of a basket in the formal condition, and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a formed basket.

As seen in FIG. 1, the blank comprises a base 10, and elongated side panels 11 extending along the sides of the base 10. At each end of the base is an end panel 12. In the example shown, the side panels are on a slight angle to the vertical, relative to the base.

Each side panel 11 has an extension 13 at each end, the extensions 13 of a slightly arcuate form. But in the end of each extension 13 is a tab 14, and a transverse slot 15 is made in each end panel 12. The tabs 14 are formed by cuts having a straight portion 16 and a curbed portion 17, the straight portions 16 substantially normal to the end edges 18 of the extensions 13 and extending from the end edges. The relative positions of the tabs 14 and transverse slots 15 is such that the tabs 14 can be Patented June 23, 1970 passed through the slots 15 when the blank is formed into a basket, as described below.

A handle comprising two loops 19 is attached to the base 10. Conveniently the loops are of string, rolled paper or plastic, the ends being attached to the base 10 by staples 20, for example. The loops extend outwards under the side panels 11, in the collapsed or unformed, condition, one loop on each side.

Preferably, to ease the forming of a blank into a basket, the junctions between the side panels 11 and end panels 12 with the base 10 are scored, as indicated at 21. However this is not essential and will depend on the material used for the blank, to some extent. The blank can be made from cardboard and varying thicknesses depending upon use, or of corrugated cardboard, of a suitable plastic material.

The basket is formed by bending up the side panels 11, to a more or less vertical position relative to the base 10; bending the extensions 13 round the ends of the base 10 and then bending up the end panels 12. As the end panels 12 are bent up into contact with the extensions 13, tabs 14 are pushed through slots 15. The curved portion 17 of the cuts forming the tabs 14 extend beyond the ends of the slots 15 and the extensions are made so that their end edges 18 abut. This can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. As an alternative, the end panels 12 can be positioned on the inside of the extensions 13, instead of on the outside as illustrated.

As will be seen from the drawings, the ends of the loops 19 are attached to the base 10 toward the ends thereof. In use, particularly when carried, the loops extend up the sides (side panels 11), in a somewhat diagonally inclined position and, when the handle is held, considerable support is provided for the sides. The relative positioning of the ends of the loops 19 on the base 10 can be varied in accordance with the size of basket, and the amount, and position, of support required for the sides.

It will be seen that a convenient, light-weight basket is provided, and yet which has considerable support from the handle. At the same time the handle is permanently attached and no separate parts occur when the basket is collapsed, or unfolded. Similarly, when blanks are provided for making baskets, they have the handle already attached. Baskets can readily be unfolded back to the blank form, if desired, without having to remove the handle.

Modification to various features can readily be made without departing from the invention. Thus, if desired, the extensions 13 can have slots in them and tabs formed in the end panels to engage with the slots in the extensions. Also the end edges 18 need not abut, in the formed basket, either overlapping or being spaced apart, with suitable variation in the position of the tabs 14 and slots 15 more than one slot 15 can be provided in each end panel.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

I claim:

1. A collapsible basket, formed from a foldable blank, comprising:

(a) a generally rectangular base;

(b) a pair of side walls extending generally perpendicular to the base, each side wall including an integral end wall extension at each end thereof, adjacent such end wall extensions overlapping one another;

(c) a pair of end walls extending generally perpendicular to the base, each end wall being disposed exteriorly of the overlapping end wall extensions;

(d) a plurality of interengaging tabs and slots in said end wall extensions and said end walls, thereby to maintain the end walls in assembled, overlapping 4. A basket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handle position; and is of rolled paper.

(e) a pair of U-shaped 100p handles, the base of the 5. A basket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handle legs of the U of the loops being secured to the recis of plastic material. tangular base, the legs of the U then extending 5 across the side walls, thereby to provide for support References Cited for the side walls.

2. A basket as claimed in claim 1, the side walls eX- UNITED STATES PATENTS tending slightly outwardly from a plane normal to t 637,838 11/1899 Vernon 22935 base, the extensions at each end of the side Walls bei g 0 2,613,847 10/1952 Lacher 22952X of arc te form- 2,739,701 3/1956 Sarrat et al. 22935X 3. A basket as claimed in claim 1, wherein a slot is formed in each end wall, said slot being substantially DAVID M. BOOKENEK, Primary Examiner parallel to the plane of the base and wherein a tab is formed in each extension, the tabs being inserted through 15 U.S. Cl. X.R. the related slot. 22952 

